The Ponkiesblog: Bluegrass, old-time and traditional country music in Brooklyn.

October 2008 Archives

October 16, 2008

Correction and Some Addenda

The jam at the Underground Lounge, on the Upper West Side, is on Monday nights, not Wednesdays, at 9pm. It was right in the newsletter but wrong in the calendar.

Also, the Ragpickers are playing at Sunny's on Friday, with Walter Wells on bass, Michael Pasternak on mandolin, Brett Laden on guitar and Jane Gallo on Dobro.

Finally, a few more things happening at Jalopy this weekend: Saturday night, the film AND THIS IS FREE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MAXWELL STREET is being shown, a great documentary about Chicago blues as played for tips at the famous street market; Saturday night, Eli Smith plays old-time, blues and country, followed by prewar blues master Pat Conte; on Sunday afternoon, a Carter Family workshop led by Hannah Marcus, at 1pm.

Octoberfest and More!

Sorry to be late this week, but I spent yesterday working with power
tools instead of newsletters.

Tonight, we have two great events. There's an Octoberfest old-time
spectacular at Jalopy, with Kari Denis and Michelle Yu on fiddle, Joe
Costa on banjo and Rog Grossman on bass, plus Andy Mulle calling some
squares! It's a Clifftop/Ashokan reunion and should be great fun.

Plus, over at Freddy's, there's the Kings County Opry, featuring the
new lineup of Good Greasy and Baked plus the South Slope String Band,
and starting off with the song circle featuring Ebie Carter with Dock
Oscar, Teri Ann McLean and the return of Josh Saunders.

Back at Jalopy on Friday night, there's a rocking bluegrass
doubleheader, with the Five Deadly Venoms and Astrograss. Meanwhile
there's old-time at the Good Coffeehouse with Jody Kruskal and Paul
Friedman. Plus the usual weekend brunches and jams.

Monday night The Havens are at the Parkside, there's the weekly jam at
Jalopy, and a new jam hosted by Pete Elegant uptown at the Underground
Lounge, 106th and Broadway, in the back room.

October 1, 2008

October Surprise

What? October? How'd that happen? Don't worry, play bluegrass. Join
the Sheriff at the Good Times Jam at the Grizzly Pear, or stop by the
Angel Band jam in Park Slope. Or you can play some gypsy jazz with
Franglais.

Also tonight Rob Hecht plays the Bowery Ballroom with Sonya Kitchell
and Brad Barr, Willy Scott and Wiley Worth are at 68 Jay Street, and
Roots&Ruckus is at Jalopy.

Tomorrow night you can watch Sarah Palin embarrass herself (and all of
us) in good company, at the Housing Works Bookstore, where the Jones
Street Boys are having a special Live From Down Home night. They'll
perform at 8, the music will pause for the VP debate at 9, and then
the Junior League Band performs afterwards.

Also tomorrow night, Rob Hecht is playing at Barbes with Matuto, and
Alex brings his Whiskey Rebellion to Hill Country. Sean Kershaw is
playing late at Banjo Jim's, and even later, you can get a rare sight
of Geoff Wiley on his own stage, as he plays a set at Jalopy starting
at 11.

Closer to home (well, my home, anyway), there's the monthly old-time
jam at Freddy's on Thursday night as well.

Friday night is bluegrass at Jalopy, featuring Royal Pine at 9 and
Doug Hatt's Fresh Baked at 10.30, with Charles Puckette, Diane
Stockwell, David Mignano and me on harmonica.

Also Friday, the Good Coffeehouse features Appalachian banjo player
and balladeer Brett Ratliff, along with members of the Clack Mountain
String Band. You can catch the full CMSB, from Kentucky, at the
Greenpoint Autumn Square Dance on Saturday evening.

The Havens have their first album coming out and are celebrating it at
Freddy's on Saturday night, while Smokey Hormel plays at Jalopy. And
of course there will be a jam at Sunny's, where Smokey plays every
Wednesday for an indeterminate period.

Sunday we'll be pickin at Kili, and afterwards you can get some dinner
on Atlantic Avenue and keep walking down to Hank's where Jamie Lyn
plays at 10.

But I don't know if I'll be up that late because on Sunday I'm getting
up very early for the BikeMS charity ride, in support of the NY
chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. You can donate to
them through my ride page at:

http://msnyc.kintera.org/bikems/kenficara

Monday night, Trip and Emily do a set ahead of Michael Daves' monthly
jam at the Parkside, and in Brooklyn there's the jam at Jalopy.

Also next week, Boo and Elena are hosting a Woody Guthrie tribute at
Banjo Jim's on Wednesday night. More details next week but you might
want to put that on your calendar.

Please let us know what's going on so we can feature it here. Send
your gig notices, myspace bulletins, facebook posts and carrier
pigeons to pickin@ponkiesburg.com by Wednesday for inclusion.